by D. J. Holmes
Mysterious Destiny
Bright Lights and Thunder – Part II
By
D. J. Holmes
Copyright © 2014 by Donna Holmes
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, without permission from the author, except in the case of a brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. In this case, recognition should be given in written form, in the article or review, to the author’s name, D. J. Holmes, along with the name of the book, Mysterious Destiny (Bright Lights and Thunder - Part II)
Contact Information - [email protected]
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ISBN-13: 978-0-9845576-6-0 – ELECTRONIC COPY
ISBN-10: 0-9845576-6-0
Mysterious Destiny™
Book Cover by Miss Mae
Snow Flower Publishing LLC Logo™
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011915808
This is the third book in a series of Mysterious Destiny Mystery Romance Novels.
Mysterious Destiny (Bright Lights and Thunder - Part II)
Author: D.J. Holmes
Editors: Donna, Jaimie, Laureen, Bill, Stacey, Geri and Annell.
Web Sites Created By: Chad Holmes
Published By: Snow Flower Publishing
Donna Holmes
Spanish Fork, Utah 84660
FIRST EDITION: JULY, 2014
FOREWORD
In the Hall of Corridors at the Beach House, toward the end of the first book of this series in Mysterious Destiny Beckoning Corridors, Gray Wolf is forcefully thrown into the opening of a time portal as he falls down the tail of a huge fish that he had been riding. At the end of his journey in the portal, Gray Wolf finds himself on a Caribbean beach in the middle of a group of pirates. His destiny changes as he begins to live life as he never knew that it could be lived. As a young boy his parents were honest and loving; now he would become a full fledge pirate under the tutelage of the famous, ruthless Caribbean pirate, Black Beard. How does he determine what his life will be? What type of person does he become?
The focus of this book is on the fact that families are very important; that a simple life can be very rewarding and that God has a great plan for each and every one of us. All that He asks is that we remain true to the eternal principals He taught us before we came to Earth.
While every moment of life is very hard, if we remember His teachings and continue to do the best that we can, when it is time for us to return home we will take with us what we have learned on Earth, while moving toward our ultimate destiny, that of living once again with God as our Father, wrapped in His eternal love.
Additionally I would like to add:
If you have not read the first book of this series, Mysterious Destiny Beckoning Corridors, here is a very important part of the puzzle.
Daniel, owner and manager of the Beach House, is a main character in each book of this series. While living with his beautiful wife and two children on their own planet, he found a worm hole, a tunnel in time, a way to secretly leave their world and travel to safety. With great hope he made plans to take his family and travel through the worm hole to a new planet, Earth.
His own story, while living on Gliese in the Libra Galaxy, is told throughout the Mysterious Destiny Series. Now living on Earth he listens, he heals and he helps each character to fulfill their destiny. Within his Beach House on the lower level in the Hall of Corridors, are the portals which transport each character(s) to their designated point in time.
* * *
CAUTION: WHILE THE MYSTERIOUS DESTINY SERIES IS FAMILY FRIENDLY, THE CONTENTS OF THE SERIES IS NOT MEANT FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 12.
* * *
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is the third book in the Mysterious Destiny series. As with Beckoning Corridors, the first book, and Bright Lights and Thunder-Part I, the second book, Bright Lights and Thunder-Part II would never have happened without the constant influence and support from God, my wonderful children, grandchildren, family and friends.
SIGNATURE PAGE
Through experiences that we have no control over, life can send you into the very depths of despair…
OR
It can be full of wonderful, unexpected, simple fulfilling pleasures.
My hope is that your life will be the second, filled with happiness and a clear vision of your destiny.
Sincerely,
D. J. Holmes
BRIGHT LIGHTS AND THUNDER, PART II
CHAPTER 1
A beautiful sleek tall-schooner, by the name of ‘Mysterious’, has just left Antigua heading back to its home base on the island of Martinique. The Caribbean Sea is clear and tranquil reflecting a picture-perfect vessel onto the opaque watery surface; a picture of two ships, one above the water, and the other below.
All of this would soon change with signals sent by strong winds, dancing waves, and sea spray blowing up onto the deck. For now, its white cotton sails towering above the deck are completely filled to capacity by a calm consistent strong sea breeze, causing them to look like white triangle pillows floating in a clear blue sky.
Ian, captain of the ‘Mysterious’, a light blonde, blue eyed Viking and his first mate, Lucas, a Spaniard with curly black hair and dark brown eyes, have fought for many years alongside each other as privateers and as pirates. Both standing six feet tall, extremely strong and ruggedly handsome, they have been admired by the ladies at each port they have sailed into over the years.
Earlier today while walking through Antigua’s markets, Ian is having fun tipping his broad rimed hat and smiling at all of the island women.
“Ian, quit flexing your muscles. You know that you are just trying to attract the women.”
“I may have done it for that reason when we were younger, Lucas,” smiling as he looks down at the muscles in his arms, “now I’m just trying to get a better price for a gift that I am buying for Grace.”
As Lucas looks at his friend a thought comes to mind, “I always wondered how you did that. My gifts to Jasmine were always a lot more expensive.”
“Just smile, Lucas. Flex your muscles and be kind to these poor lonely women. Their men have probably gone to sea… and here we are,” Ian says beaming from ear to ear.
“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to say a few nice words. Maybe I could flirt, just a little.”
“No… it doesn’t hurt to be friendly and kind. But we flirt only with our own wives.”
“It wouldn’t mean anything, Ian.”
“No my good friend, since we are married, kindness and respect is something that we give to all women; flirting is only for one woman, the mother of our children.”
“You’re right…as good looking as I am I don’t need to flirt anyway.” Lucas stands straight and tall and puffs out his chest. Smiling, he notices several women looking his way.
“They’re looking at me Ian. I don’t even think that you will get better prices than I do this time.”
Looking at each other, they begin to laugh realizing this game of vying to be the best looking has gone on for several years. Lucas adds, “I would imagine that all of the women wish that there were more men that looked like us.”
“You can be sure of that, Lucas,” Ian smiles as he looks at all of the women who glance in their direction.
Soon the shopping for their island village is completed and they are both anxious to return home. Ian signals for some of their mates, aboard the schooner, to come and help transport their goods back to the schooner. Several small boats are lowered down the ships side;
with men aboard them, they row toward the small dock where their supplies have been stacked. Finally, everything is loaded and as a group they head back to the schooner. Half way between the schooner and the island, Ian can hear Jody shouting as loud as she can, while jumping up and down in great excitement.
“…Papa. What did you get? Papa, I can’t hear you…what did you get?” she questions yelling out to his row boat.
Looking toward the deck of the Schooner as the waves jostle the rowboat, Ian shouts, “Just a minute, Jody… Looking back to his mates who had rowed alongside him, he commands, “load everything onto the ship.”
Half of his crew had stayed aboard to protect Jody and their ship. Hearing their captain’s request, they run to the aid of their mates by throwing ropes over the railing. The shipmates in the row boats take turns tying each bale and box of cargo to the dangling ropes so that it could be hauled aboard and stacked on deck. The ropes are thrown over the railing again and again and each new box or bale is hauled up to the deck until finally the supplies are all aboard.
With the row boats empty of cargo, Ian, Lucas and his other rowing mates are now climbing the rope ladders to the deck of their beautiful schooner. Once aboard, Ian turns around to see Jody running toward him. He throws his arms out to his side to catch her.
“…Papa. Let me see it. I know that you got me something. What is it Papa?” she asks excitedly.
Sitting her on a barrel, which is waiting to be put into the main hold, he pulls out a beautiful shell necklace from his pocket and puts it around her neck. Looking down at the gift, Jody’s small hands hold the string of shells, as her face glows with excitement and her exquisite smile shows off her dimples. Putting her down onto the deck, Jody turns away from her father and begins to dance around feeling like she is a princess who has just been handed the most delicate and precious of all gifts.
“I am so happy that Jody is with me,” Ian comments, watching his daughter as she continues to dance. “She is so innocent, Lucas. I wish we could have taken her to the market with us, but with all of the pirates in this area, one can never be too careful with family.”
“You made the right decision to leave her on board with most of our crew, Ian. Are you ready to put all of this below?”
“I guess we can’t put it off any longer can we?”
“Not if you want to get home tonight!”
“You just said the magic word…home….” Turning to his crew he asks, “Have you rested enough? Let’s get this in the hole so that we can get on our way.”
Everyone jumps up from their short rest and begins working as a team as they lower the supplies into the main hold.
“Everything is taken care of Ian.”
“Great! Give the orders.”
Cupping his hands up and around his mouth Lucas starts to shout, “Hoist the main sails……let’s get out of here mates.”
The wind begins to fill the sails propelling the ‘Mysterious’ toward home.
“Look… now that we are sailing, Jody has finished dancing and has gone back to the starboard bow to look for her friends to emerge once again.”
“I love to watch her excitement… it is her first time sailing in the open sea.”
From the moment the ‘Mysterious’ left their island home, Jody had been fascinated with the clear-aqua, Caribbean Sea and it’s creatures. She has watched a Blue Whale spouting water thirty feet into the air and she giggles each time the spinning dolphins break the surface of the water, spinning through the air at an angle.
“Papa did you see that?” she would say with everything that caught her attention.
Gliding over the surface of the water, several minutes away from shopping at Antigua, a group of Bottlenose Dolphins begin swimming close to the side of the ship, riding the wake as the bow cuts through the waves. The clearness of the water makes it possible for her to see the dolphins as they would dive hundreds of yards down and simultaneously turn, heading to the surface as fast as they can. With noses pointed toward the sky, they fly into the air as if propelled by a spring board, arching their tail and spreading their fins out to the side, all the while looking over at Jody as if to ask, “Can you do this?”
Jody claps and waves to them as she laughs, giggles and jumps up and down in pure delight.
“Look at your youngest daughter, Ian.” Lucas says laughing, “While it is fine for her to be fascinated with the dolphins we need to watch her while she is standing up at the starboard bow, looking over the railing and watching their games.”
“Yes, I agree.”
A thought of his wife fills his mind as he looks at his daughter, “Lucas, don’t you think that Jody looks like her mother?”
“No doubt about it, Ian. She is as cute as Grace is beautiful.”
Smiling Ian asks, “What would our lives be like now without our families?”
“We would probably be sailing from port to port looking for wives.”
“If we hadn’t been fighting with Black Beard, we would never have met our wives.”
“We were fated to meet!” Lucas adamantly answers.
“Good ole Black Beard…” Ian was going to recount one of the many stories of their bygone years as pirates with and against Black Beard, but in the background he hears his daughter calling to him and turns in her direction.
“Papa, PAPA! Come here and look at these funny dolphins,” she says with a cute childlike demanding voice.
“Let me go and see what Jody wants, Lucas. When I come back we can continue recounting our old memories.” Slapping Lucas on the back, Ian walks over to the starboard bow where Jody is looking over the railing, “What did you want to show me, my little jewel?”
“Look at them, Father” she declared happily, “they jump out of the water and then dive back in, going as deep as they can. The water is so clear that you can see how low they go… then, it seems like they have a race to see who can get back to the surface the fastest.”
“They are great swimmers, aren’t they, Jody?”
Pointing further out into the sea and over to her right, Jody begins to laugh, “And look at that one, Daddy. He looks like he is walking backward on his tail as fast as he can go. Then he looks over at me and laughs with that strange sound that only dolphins can make.”
Her laughter and pure excitement put Ian into a teasing mood. “Why, I think that he likes you Sweetie. He’s asking you which trick you like the best. What are you going to tell him?”
Smiling at her father, dimples showing, she sweetly says, “I like all of the things that he does. But…where he walks backward on top of the water… that’s my favorite! I just wish I could swim as well as he and all of his friends do.”
“Maybe if you lived in the water as they do, you could.” Quickly picking her up and swinging her toward the railing of the ship as if he was going to toss her in, he asks with a smile, “…would you like me to throw you overboard so that you can live in the water with them?”
“NO, FATHER! I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU,” she says as she wraps her arms around his neck as tightly as her little arms can hold him.
Bringing her back, and holding her tightly to his chest, he stops his teasing and seriously says, “I want you to stay with me also, my Sweet Little One. Make sure that you don’t lean too far over the railing while you watch your dolphins.”
“I won’t, Father. I’ll be careful,” she says as she kisses his cheek.
Putting Jody down on the deck, Ian takes a few steps back continuing to watch his daughter, still amazed at her innocence and excitement as she views the world around her.
Caught off guard, Ian feels the point of a sword at his back. Slowly turning around, he sees Lucas with a patch over his eye and a sword in his hand. His whole crew starts to laugh.
“Lucas, what are you doing?” he questions.
“I’m not Lucas, I’m Black Beard. Can’t you see the patch covering the eye that you hit when we last met at Port Royal?” he says seriously, pointing to
the patch over his eye.
Realizing the joke that Lucas is playing, Ian gets into character. “Why, yes…now that you bring it to my attention, I can. What do you want?”
“Since you have told me before that you no longer want to be a member of my crew, I want to finish the fight that we had when we last met,” Lucas says in a lower than normal voice, trying to sound more like Black Beard.
Not willing to show any fear, Ian answers, “Ha! You want to finish it? I thought that it was finished when I left you knocked out cold on the floor of the Corner Tavern. And when your crew came to your aid, my crew took care of every one of them.”
“The only thing that your crew did was hit each of my crew, with the bottom of one of their feet, in the chest.”
“It did the trick, didn’t it?”
“Get your sword out! I want a fair fight this time,” Lucas demands.
Ian takes out his sword.
Steel hitting against steel can be heard all over the schooner.
“At first I thought that they were joking around, but their sword fighting doesn’t look like they are playing around…what’s happening?” several crewmen ask. “Are they mad at each other?”
“No… it’s just Ian and Lucas up to their games again.”
“Oh, this should be great entertainment then.”
“They always make me laugh when they do these role plays.”
Blocking Lucas’s sword and intentionally coming face to face with the pretend Black Beard, Ian asks, “What do you mean a fair fight?”
“You knocked my sword out of my hands, and then hit me with a left sucker punch to the head. How could you do that in front of my men?” Lucas puts his sword out to the side as his hands, palms up, jester the question ‘why’…. “I fell to the ground and when I woke up, I had a black eye!” his eyes widen as he moves his face toward Ian so that he could see the damage that had been done as he points to his left eye.